Hand Hammered Sterling Silver Big Horn Ram Pin by Jan Loco [SOLD]

Using one's imagination, one can picture the curving shape of a ram's horn, after which it becomes quite obvious. This sterling silver hand-forged ram is typical of jewelry designed by Jan Loco with her trademark hand-hammered finish.

Jan Loco (b.1949-) began making jewelry in 1988. She developed a unique method of creating jewelry without the use of power tools. Using only heavy-duty shears, she cut and fashioned her piece to the desired shape, after which she hammered it with a specially selected rock until she achieved the desired texture. This is a laborious task, but she felt it honored her ancestry to use items of nature rather than power tools.

Jan Loco became interested in Apache symbolism and legend when, as a young adult, she discovered her Apache ancestry. Her work is inspired by the stories of her ancestors, incorporating designs reflecting the heavens, Apache legends, as well as plants and animals of the Apache homeland. She did not learn of her Warm Springs Apache heritage from her adoptive parents until she was an adult. It was then that she learned she was the great-granddaughter of Chief Loco, one of the last of the Apache chiefs, who had been imprisoned in Florida in 1886 by the U. S. government.

The pin is stamped J. Loco on verso. It also has the Spider Woman cross stamped on verso, along with her designated title "Big Horn." Jan Loco no longer is making jewelry. She moved from New Mexico some years ago and her whereabouts are unknown.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Hand Hammered Sterling Silver Big Horn Ram Pin by Jan Loco is from the collection of an East Coast museum

Recommended Reading: American Indian Jewelry II: A-L, 1,800 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Relative Links: jewelry, Apache, Jan Loco, Apache Jeweler